lame duck

Interim state superintendent Sheila Alles joined Stateside to discuss the law creating a new state A-F grading system.

In the frantic bill passing of lame duck, the state Legislature pushed through an A-F grading system for Michigan schools. It requires the state to grade K-12 schools in five areas, and then make the grades available for parents to view.

Peggy Case is the president of Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation. She doesn’t think the state government has done enough to protect the environment while Republicans have held top offices in Lansing.

Lawmakers sent more than 400 bills to Governor Rick Snyder during the lame-duck session. But Snyder's office will no longer be taking comments on those bills from constituents by phone or through its website.

Governor Rick Snyder will decide whether to set the statute of limitations for campaign finance crimes at five years. That would mean that prosecutors must file charges against someone who violates the Campaign Finance Act within five years of the crime.

Opponents say that’s not long enough – and lawmakers shouldn’t put a time frame on a crime specific to their profession.

Today on Stateside, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan gives an update on the approximately 100 Iraqi immigrants who were detained in police custody for nearly a year and a half before a U.S. District Judge ordered their release last month. Plus, the lawyer representing residents in the Rockford area whose water was contaminated with PFAS weighs in on Senate Bill 1244, which would overhaul Michigan's standards for cleaning up toxic chemicals.

Today, where do bills still passing through the Michigan Legislature stand as we head into the final week of the lame-duck session? Plus, we speak to two siblings who were separated in the foster care system. Now, they're fighting for a Sibling Bill of Rights.

Today, Detroit Public Schools Community District Superintendent Nikolai Vitti joined Stateside to react to a lame-duck bill that would create a statewide A-F grading system for Michigan schools. Plus, what would Michigan native Russell Kirk, a founder of American conservatism, think of the ideology today?

Protesters flooded the rotunda of the Michigan Capitol Wednesday to oppose actions taken by the Legislature during this year’s lame duck session. Protesters gathered for a second week after lawmakers passed legislation modifying measures such as minimum wage and earned sick time.

A portion of a package of school safety bills is expected to see a vote in Lansing this week.

The bills would create an Office of School Safety within the Department of State Police. They would also require school districts to consult with law enforcement about security and emergency plans for situations like active shooters. And they would allow school boards to discuss safety plans in closed sessions.

Scientists and public health advocates are voicing concern over a bill currently making its way through Michigan’s lame-duck Legislature. They say that SB 1244, sponsored by state Senator Jim Stamas (R-Midland), could prevent the state from using the most up-to-date science when determining what levels of toxic contamination should trigger a cleanup.

A bill that would prevent state agencies from adopting standards stricter than federal standards is on its way to the governor’s desk. This applies to areas like environmental and workplace cleanup regulations.

Representative Donna Lasinski (D-Ann Arbor) voted against the bill. She says environmental regulations are not one size fits all.

Demonstrators gathered in Petoskey on Saturday, opposing the state's plan to build a tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac, which would house twin oil pipelines owned by Canadian company Enbridge Energy.

As of today, Michigan is the first state in the midwest to allow recreational use of marijuana. What changes can we expect? Plus, we hear music that prisoners at Auschwitz concentration camp arranged and performed for their Nazi captors.

Today, big changes in the lame duck session could be coming over who controls oversight of Michigan schools. Bills sponsored by term-limited Representative Tim Kelly would create a new 13-member education commission. Plus, voters approved Proposal 3, also called "Promote the Vote," on Nov. 6, but now Senator Mike Kowall has introduced a series of bills during the lame duck session that would alter what voters have approved.